Parenting Advice Kept Simple

Practical Parenting Advice

Today you have so many resources to look to for parenting advice so I wanted to offer some simple and practical parenting advice. You probably have had many parenting books recommended to you so much that you do not know where to begin. And now there is the Internet. You can Google search nearly any topic and within seconds receive a ton of resources directed to you instantly. There is so much information out there that it can become overwhelming.

When I was a young mother there were not so many books and recourses that you have today but there were enough voices to combat. The reason I say combat is because that is exactly what it is. Not all the advice you get is worthwhile. Some is written by self proclaimed experts that have not even raised children of their own. Some is written by those that received their PHD from a university so their understanding of human nature comes from a textbook with no actual working knowledge of reality. We consider them experts even though they have little actual working knowledge as in experience in raising their own children. Anyone can be a good observer of other people’s children and become a great critique but raising your own children is a completely different matter.

I used to listen to Christian radio daily with a Christian Psychologist during my early years of marriage until I had heard it all and finally just turned him off. My friends were having their own experiences some being successful and some struggling. The ones that were struggling were seeking out new sources to help them cope with problems they were experiencing in their home. When they had found what they thought were answers to their specific problem they felt compelled to share their newfound knowledge with everyone else.

During our Cross Country Trip, Devil's Tower, Wyoming

Discerning Whose Advice to Take

With everything that came across my path I would always cross reference it with what I know to be right. I measured everything by the teachings of the Holy scriptures. The Bible is a source of great wisdom. The greatest of all books written by THE CREATOR of the universe, the creator of mankind. He built us, so he understand us best. When I read a book and see principles being taught I compare them to what the scripture has to say. Often if the statement in print was clearly echoing a Bible principle I would look up that principle in the Bible and make a note in the margin of the book with the reference that pretty much says the same thing. That is how I knew that what the author wrote is correct because it lined up with scripture.

Our Family in 2006

Sometimes I came across a teaching or a principle that could not be found in the scriptures. In that case I rejected the principle being put forth. For example somebody wrote a book about two natures of a child. They clearly delineated that there were “Compliant” children and “Strong Willed” children. I do not deny that there are differences in children and that compliant children are much easier to teach and train than the strong-willed ones. If I had my choice I would prefer the compliant child over the strong willed one but we never know what we are going to be given. We may be able to determine the sex of the child before they are born but we will not know the inherent nature of the child until long after its birth. My friends with their new found knowledge of this book written by a Christian Psychologist was teaching that there are two standards for raising children. I had no interst in reading that book. My friends were indicating to me that what they gained from that book seemed to imply that spanking strong willed child only makes them angrier. Perhaps she was looking for justification of her own strong-willed child. I searched the scriptures to see if there was a double standard in raising children but could not find but only one fundamental standard of discipline. God blessed me with a strong-willed child so I could learn for myself how to raise one. I did not have to use two standards. I kept my principles short and consistent. My methods were the same for both compliant and strong-willed it is just that the compliant ones learned the lessons that much faster.

Stick With The Old Book

The Tried and True Source

I based all my child training upon the teaching of the Bible, primarily the book of Proverbs. I did not need scores of resources just the greatest book of all time recorded for our benefit. The book of Proverbs is packed full of practical advice for daily helps with a variety of daily living for child rearing, to finances, to relationships with parent, spouse, employees and employers. There are 31 chapters so you could read a Proverb a day and finish the book in a month. I did not stop at a one time read. I would read it every month. Proverbs is a book I could never tire of because there is so much to glean from it. Why are we so willing to go to every other source instead of the main source who fashioned and framed us? The greatest foundation for teaching our children is the Bible, God’s Holy Word. I had no experience coming into motherhood. My parents took the advice of Dr. Spock and we did not have good discipline nor a loving environment in our home. But I determined to raise my children the Bible way and that is why my children have turned out so well. God’s way works. God’s way is with love and firm consistent discipline. It has been proven that children who grow up with established limits and firm discipline in a loving environment turn out to be more happy and secure than those with no discipline and lack standards and established limitations.